The Meaning of Mistletoe: An Atlantis Christmas Tale
by kickstand75
Summary: John Sheppard and his team are surprised by the redecoration of the jumper bay for Christmas.


"What the hell is this?" John Sheppard called out to no one in particular. A few moments ago, he had been rudely awakened over the radio from a much deserved late afternoon nap by an altogether too excited Radek and Woolsey. The last mission the team had been on was a rough one, and John was none too happy about being awakened.

He repeated his last statement a little louder this time, since the room seemed to be empty, though far from dark as the bay usually was at this time of day.

"Woolsey, Radek?" He tried again and still no response. Since it would do no good to delay the inevitable, and knowing he would likely not see his bed until well after midnight at this point, he stepped into the brightly colored Jumper Bay. His eyes scanned a room that, just yesterday, had been dark and lifeless. His sleepy eyes had to squint a little due to the brightness of all the colored lights on the 15 foot decorated tree standing in front of him. And, as his eyes continued to scan the room, he realized the decorations did not stop at the monstrous looking evergreen in front of him. Someone had rigged lights around most of the jumper's front windows, strung lights behind the tree, and put up what looked to be a row of dancing red and green electronic christmas trees in the corner of the room. His eyes looked over the rather large amount of wrapped red and green presents under the tree and he wondered, just like a giddy child on Christmas morning, if they were for decoration only or if someone had actually bothered to put presents in them.

His mind flashed back to Christmas's spent at his parents' ranch growing up. His mother had always strived to make Christmas a special time for him and Dave. A time of hot chocolate by the fireplace after a long day of sledding when they were younger and skiing when they got older, singing carols around his mother's worn but cherished piano, and then the glittering parties that he and Dave used to spy on from the hidden corner at the top of the stairs on Christmas night. All that had ended with her death and his father's insistence that John follow in the chosen path of business and law. Looking around at these decorations made him feel ten again and he smiled wistfully in remembrance.

Eyes snapping back to the present, he spied a large bouquet of mistletoe hanging over one of the lower jumpers. Well, he hoped it was mistletoe, or at the very least that whoever had decorated the bay had cleared the plant through the botany department. It wouldn't do any good to have the bay eaten up by a carnivorous plant, or something along those lines. Before he'd come to the Pegasus Galaxy, he would have laughed at that vision, but having been on Atlantis for five years now, he no longer scoffed at such a thought.

He opened his mouth to call for someone again when he heard voices behind him. He could pick out the grousing voice of McKay who was arguing with Ronan over something. There were softer footfalls in between the argument and John could only assume Teyla had been dragged from her apartments too. From the way the voices were getting louder, John figured they would soon arrive at the bay doors.

In the one dark corner of the room, he suddenly saw movement. Both Radek and Woolsey stepped out from the darkness at the same time, with glee showing on their faces.

"Ah, Sheppard," Radek began in his characteristic thick Czech accent, "Glad you could join us. Do you like what we've done? Woolsey gave me the permission weeks ago to gather a team together to decorate for Christmas. In the past, we've always been in a crisis situation, and have never been able to celebrate. And, well -"

John realized that Radek was babbling because he was a little nervous at the reaction of the often stoic military leader of Atlantis. He looked over to Woolsey who nodded in agreement that he had indeed given his permission without John's knowledge.

"We thought it best, Colonel, that we did not interrupt your gate teams to do the decorating. Radek has been gathering some of the non-essential personnel in helping him organize this much-deserved celebration. There are gifts for every single person currently on Atlantis. We stowed most of them away, and I will hand them out later, but your team's gifts are under the tree, along with a few other key people." Woolsey stated matter-of-factly. John thought Woolsey always sounded a little bit defensive regarding decisions he had made on his own. Which was silly, because even though he'd initially been pissed regarding the abrupt replacement of Colonel Carter, he had come to respect and even like the awkward, bumbling Woolsey in the last year.

John smiled widely, letting his appreciation show in the twinkling of his eyes. "Thank you! Both of you. I mean it. This is great." He turned his head at the opening of the bay doors. Rodney and Ronan walked in first, still arguing over something stupid, no doubt. They were closely followed by Keller and Carson, who seemed to be discussing the availability of vaccines in the Pegasus Galaxy. Fun!

"Teyla will be along in a moment, Mr. Woolsey," Carson yelled out, interrupting Jennifer in a long-winded explanation. "She needed to settle down the little lad in her arms. He was a bit upset at being woken up from a nap."

John wondered at that strange statement. Shouldn't Kanaan have been able to watch over Torren while he finished up his nap? He looked around, but didn't find any concern at anyone else's faces and decided to keep quiet, rather than ask the obvious question.

"Ah, here she is!" Radek called happily a few moments later, as the jumper bay doors opened again. "Glad you could join us, Teyla. Thank you for waking up Torren. I would hold him for you, if you'd like a few moments without a little one in your arm."

"Thank you, Radek." Teyla slowly walked over to him, so as to not disturb the sleepy infant, and gently placed her child into Radek's arms. "I admit, I am happy for a small break. I do so love my son, but he makes it rather challenging to get much rest."

Again, John wondered at her statements. Now that he thought about it, her eyes had seemed tired looking on the last few missions. He had chalked that up to the release of stress in finding her people, and birthing a baby a few short months ago though. Perhaps there was more to her statements than that though? He wandered over to her side as the others were busy cooing over the small baby in Radek's arms.

"Teyla, is there something you aren't sharing?" He began a little more abruptly than he wanted. "I mean, you know you can talk to me, right? How come you didn't leave Torren sleeping with Kanaan?"

She looked at him wearily, and not quite in a whisper said, "John, I have been meaning to -" She halted, as if she didn't know the exact words she wanted to use.

"I. Kanaan. He and I are no longer." She paused again, and bolstered herself with a deep breath out.

"He is not in Atlantis any longer. It is not something I wished to burden you with as the separation was amicable on both our parts. Kanaan wanted something much more than I could give him permanently."

John paused a moment to look into her eyes before he answered her with what he hoped veiled his excitement over these words. He secretly hoped they meant what he thought they did. Perhaps his chances weren't dead in the water yet? It was Christmas, after all, a time for miracles and magic.

"Teyla, I'm sorry to hear this news. How long has he been gone? Do you need any extra help with Torren?" He hoped he put enough sincerity in his voice. Though he was happy that Teyla was once again free, he didn't relish the idea of a new mother taking care of a child all on her own. Especially a new mother that he considered part of his family.

"I'm sure that we can arrange for help for you if you need it."

"I appreciate the thought, John. Can we get through this celebration that Mr. Woolsey and Radek have planned for us, then we can talk about it later on tonight, if you wish. Come on, they are waiting for us."

She walked over to the larger group, who had turned towards the gifts under the tree. "After hearing about Christmas from you and Rodney these last five years, I admit I am curious about your traditions."

John smirked a bit to himself and mischievously replied, "Oh, I have a fun tradition to tell you about later." He wondered if he'd be brave enough to follow through on his sudden idea and glanced up at the mistletoe hanging above the jumper. After five long years, he promised himself, he wasn't going to blow his chances again.

"Ho, Ho, Ho," Mr. Woolsey called out cheerfully. He looked like an elf, John thought, with his red santa hat on, and ugly Christmas sweater which had what looked like three dancing reindeer complete with small bells that actually jingled every time Mr. Woolsey leaned over to hand out another gift. "This last gift is for Colonel Sheppard!"

"Me? I wonder what's in here." John tried, rather unsuccessfully, to not look too excited about the gift he'd been handed. In the end, he decided, it really didn't matter. He was surrounded by the people he cared about most in the world and he gave in to the giddy feeling that Christmas always brought about in him.

The afternoon had been filled with genuine laughter, hot food brought in by the mess hall just for them, and christmas carols piped in through the com system. John thought maybe Rodney had rigged it so that they were only heard here in the jumper bay. He couldn't imagine how distracting it would have been otherwise.

He resisted the urge to give the present a little shake before opening it. He'd been curious all afternoon about this one gift. He'd received a few other little trinkets from the team, but this large gift had been saved for last, and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it held.

"Come on, Sheppard, don't keep us waiting any longer." Ronan egged him on. "Stop acting like a little girl and just open it already." That sentiment earned Ronan a swift elbow in the ribs from Teyla, who was sitting beside him.

"Children, calm down. I'm getting to it." John teasingly called to them. He really couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a fun time here on Atlantis.

"Ok, here I go."

He ripped into the foiled red paper and carefully opened the box to pull out a foot tall model of a ferris wheel. He pulled the gift from the box gingerly and held it up for all to see. He wondered where in the world they'd gotten this. It was exactly like the first ferris wheel he'd been on as a kid, right down to the working lights on it. He flipped the lights to the off position on the bottom and looked up at the expectant people in front of him.

"Sheppard, do you like it? I hooked up the lights to it. I wasn't sure I would be able to get it working in time since Teyla took so long to find the person to carve it for you and Ronan thought we could negotiate a better price than what the carver was offering, but -"

"RODNEY!" Teyla interrupted what was sure to be a long-winded speech about the greatness of Rodney McKay's timing, expertise, and greatness. "Please, let the Colonel tell us what he thinks of it. We can hear more from you later on how you single handedly saved the day." She sharpness of her statement was gentled by a kind smile to her friend. Rodney humphed and frowned, but otherwise remained quiet after that.

"Guys, I'm not sure how you managed to do this? This is really impressive. How did you get the colors right on this thing, let alone the one bulb that flashed continuously, instead of staying constant?" John found he couldn't stop smiling. It was one thing to know that your soldiers had to listen to you because you were their commander, but quite another to know that your friends had been listening closely to all the many ramblings he'd had about this carnival ferris wheel from his youth. He smiled at them all again and thought this really was the best Christmas present he'd ever received.

"Yes, yes, you're welcome again everyone." Radek called out one more time from the outside of the bay doors before turning to say goodnight to John. "I'm grateful you weren't too upset with us, Colonel, for surprising you and your team today. Have a wonderful night and, in my language, Veselé Vánoce! Merry Christmas, Sheppard."

John sighed happily and waved goodnight to almost everyone in the room one more time. It had been a perfect afternoon, for once free of duties and obligations for him and his team. It had been nice that Carson and Keller had been included as well. Besides the fact that Rodney had somehow seemed to attract the attention of Keller - and that thought still boggled his mind -, both she and Carson were part of the very few John trusted enough to see him in an unguarded manner. The last five years had brought so many surprises to his previously almost-solitary life.

Five years ago, he couldn't have imagined having a geeky, arrogant, scientist for a best friend, or a Scottish doctor who, even though he was a clone of the original, still cared enough about him to remind him to switch from his summer uniform to a heavier winter one whenever they went to snowy planets. Five years ago, he hadn't known the beautiful, strong, courageous woman who was lingering by the bay doors looking at him with a question in her eyes.

"Teyla, I'm wondering if you'll stay a moment? I had something to show you." He took a deep breath and determined to go on. The previous relaxation he'd just felt was now gone with a sudden rush of nerves.

"Of course, John. You still have one more tradition to tell me about, correct? I have a few moments, thanks to Jennifer who has agreed to keep Torren entertained." She smiled up at him with trusting eyes. John thought fleetingly of the stupidity of Kanaan and then, as she brushed his arm walking by him, all thoughts of Kanaan were abruptly banished. This adventurous and gorgeous woman had been in his life for five years now and had somehow granted him her friendship. He hoped by the end of tonight, it would be much more than just friendship. It was something he had wished for almost as long as they'd been on Atlantis. And yet, one thing or another always got in the way of him speaking to her as more than a friend. No more, he promised himself again.

"Well, for that tradition, you need to look up first, Teyla" John began speaking slowly. He looked around the room and pointed in the direction of the mistletoe hanging over the jumper.

"Yes, I had noticed that earlier and was curious. Why did someone place that plant there? It does seem odd to be hanging by itself." Teyla glanced up at the mistletoe and slightly leaned back closer to John who was standing behind her. He hoped she did not catch his swift intake of breath at her seemingly innocent movement.

"See, I guess this tradition has a lot to do with both our galaxies. When I was in college, I took a European History class, much to my father's disappointment, who thought I should only be taking business or law classes. My professor had a great love of Norse myths -"

Teyla, turning to face him, interrupted him to clarify, "But, your Norse myths are intertwined with the Ancestors, are they not? I recall Elizabeth speaking to me about this years ago."

"Exactly," John continued. "So, the story goes that the Norse goddess, Frigga, made all the plants promise not to harm her beloved son, Baldur. We know Frigga to be one of the Asgard, but my ancestors didn't have that knowledge and this is the story that got passed down. When she made the plants promise , she mistakenly left out the mistletoe plant. Loki, who was a god of mischief, tricked Baldur's blind brother into killing Baldur with a spear made from mistletoe. Legend says it was agreed upon, after the death of Baldur, that going forward, mistletoe would bring love rather than death, and that any two people passing under mistletoe would kiss in memory of Baldur."

Teyla, he thought, had barely noticed that they were subtly inching their way forward to standing directly under the mistletoe. On second thought, she wasn't dumb, so perhaps she had noticed after all. He hadn't heard her protest at the slight movements that were propelling them forward towards the hanging plant.

"That is a lovely legend, John. It has all the best elements of storytelling that my own people cherish - Love, death, adventure, and promise. What good can come from death without the promise of being remembered and loved after you have gone?" She glanced up at him, and he was reminded that though strong, she was so much tinier than he was. He reached down and brushed a stray hair from her face gently.

"Teyla, -" he whispered to her. Biting his lip, he realized he had no words left to continue. He was on the verge of chickening out. Deciding swiftly that words sometimes failed him, but actions rarely did, he swore that he would not lose her again.

"Oh, what the hell!" He ran his hands through his hair once, and leaned down to press his lips to hers. His eyebrows lifted a little when she stepped into his arms, and deepened the kiss on her own. He silently sent thanks to his late History professor for obscure legends that somehow touched the heart of this woman in his arms, and then there was no more room for thoughts. He stepped even closer to Teyla and leaned back onto the window of the jumper bay behind them, pulling her flush against him.

A few minutes later or a few hours, who could tell, John pulled his lips from the woman in front of him. This second kiss between them had been long awaited on his part and had been worth every second of the wait. There had been many times earlier that day that John had suspected this was his favorite Christmas ever, but now he knew for certain. By far, this Christmas would be the one he would remember for the rest of his life.

"Merry Christmas, Teyla" His eyes gleamed with happiness and he heard her whisper back to him, 'Merry Christmas, John' before she stood on her toes and pulled him in for another kiss.


End file.
